Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 06
General
Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 06
Scottish Borders (Scotland) -- Fiction
herself on the bare boards, leaned her head to the side of the vessel,
and wept bitterly. We were deeply affected by her situation and
distress; but had nothing in our power whereby to alleviate her sorrow,
save, indeed, our sympathy; and that we only gave in secret; for her
ladylike appearance, in a great measure, overawed us, and made us retire
from her. The greater part of us composed ourselves to sleep. Before
morning, it blew a dreadful gale, as we could perceive by the pitching
of the vessel and the noise of the rigging, which sounded fearfully in
our ears. All of us became very sick. The poor lady I thought would have
died; her weakness was extreme; and her suffering apparently beyond
any present remeid. Two days and nights we remained in this dreadful
situation, without a mouthful of food or a drop of water. Our sufferings
increased hourly, and were almost more than we could endure. We shouted
for help, or to be liberated from our noisome prison. Our cries were
either unheeded or drowned by the noise and tumult of the storm. I and
a few more had recovered from the sickness only to feel, in greater
horror, our painful situation. The heat of the hold was intense, and
aggravated our thirst tenfold. The air even became offensive; our
breathing a kind of painful spasm of the windpipe. We crept to the foot
of the ladder under the main hatch and, holding by it, sucked in some
fresh air. I had been here for some time, and felt my sufferings
alleviated; and the poor female's situation in the distant corner,
selfish as we had all become, moved us so much to pity, that two of us
agreed to relinquish our envied post, to ascertain whether she still
survived.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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